Starting today, and exclusively for GadgetReview readers, you can now pre-order the Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Tour from Wirefly.  New customers expect to drop $179.99 after a 2-year contract signing and preexisting customers you’ll pay $199.99.

Wirefly is also guaranteeing a 30-Day Pre-Order Price Guarantee, which means if the Blackberry Tour price drops within 30 days from shipping they’ll refund you the difference.  If you order it today it should ship on the 12th, the same day Verizon officially makes the phone available.  If you want it faster, just upgrade your shipping, but I always go with the cheapest shipping to save money.

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Verizon officially confirmed today that the good old Blackberry Tour will hit on July 12th.  Expect to drop $199.99 after a $70 mail-in-rebate and new 2 year contract signing.  Now were just waiting for Sprint to confirm their July 20th launch date.

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Full release after the ‘leap’

TAKE A TOUR – A BLACKBERRY TOUR – ON AMERICA’S MOST RELIABLE 3G NETWORK AND BEYOND

Around the World or Around Town, Verizon Wireless Offers a Host of BlackBerry Smartphone Choices

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – The highly anticipated global 3G BlackBerry® Tour™ from Research In Motion (RIM) will hit Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on July 12. Verizon Wireless announced today that customers can pre-order the BlackBerry Tour for $199.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement online at www.verizonwireless.com/tour.

The BlackBerry Tour joins the BlackBerry® Storm™, BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 (available in either silver or pink), BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8230 and BlackBerry® 8830 World Edition smartphones in the Verizon Wireless portfolio. The BlackBerry Tour is a 3G world phone, giving customers the option to make phone calls in 220 countries and to access e-mail and Internet in any of the 175 countries where Verizon Wireless provides data roaming services. It is also packed with features customers expect from industry leaders, including RIM’s popular push-based mobile solution for e-mail; messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking; a 3.2 megapixel camera with geo-tagging and video recording; advanced multimedia capabilities; built-in GPS; full HTML Web browsing; and support for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service. It supports Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music with Rhapsody and VZ NavigatorSM services. BlackBerry Enterprise customers will find the stylish BlackBerry Tour has all the BlackBerry security profiles that make this an efficient business tool. A model of the BlackBerry Tour without a camera will also be available.

Customers can purchase either the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone or the BlackBerry Curve 8330 for $49.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement for a voice plan with e-mail feature or an e-mail plan. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 and BlackBerry Storm 9530 are available for $79.99 and $149.99 respectively after $70 mail-in rebates with new two-year customer agreements for a voice plan with e-mail feature or an e-mail plan. Customers receive rebates in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Email and Web for BlackBerry plans begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan. For information on Verizon Wireless’ voice and data plans for BlackBerry smartphones, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers may contact their Business Sales Representatives at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 86.6 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 86,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

The BlackBerry, Research In Motion and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.  RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

It was just over a week ago that we learned that Sprint will launching the Blackberry Tour for $199.99, but neither here nor there was there a mention of an actual launch date. But now a blogger that supposedly workers in the bowels of Sprint’s customer care unit says the Tour will launch on July 20th. Of note, Verizon will supposedly launch the BB Tour on July 12th. Of course, none of the above mentioned launch dates have been confirmed by either carrier.

[Thanks, Pete]

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